Island



GNo Model.)

' E. A. WEBSTER.

SEWING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 1.65.1897.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

EDWIN A. VEBSTER, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LINCOLN SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,21*?, dated February 16, 189'?. I Application filed May 9, 1895. Serial No. 548,680. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. WEBSTER, of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boot and shoe sewing machines employing a hook-needle; and it has for its object lto provide a machine of this class with means for guiding the thread during a part of the stitch-forming operation in such manner as to prevent the thread from exerting a diagonalV strain upon the boot or shoe while it is being drawn through the material to shorten the last-formed loop; and to this end the invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a side elevation of that portion of a sewingmachine to which my improvements are attached. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of a portion of Fig. l with the attached devices in a different position from that shown inA Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. l, looking downwardly. Fig. 4 represents an end view looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 represent sectional detail views hereinafter explained. Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A represents the supporting-frame; B, the needle-arm,which is pivoted at h to a suitable part of the frame; D, the needle affixed to the arm B; C, a lever which imparts an oscillating motion to the needle-arm 5 E, the looper, and F a channel-guide, these parts being relatively arranged and organized to operate in a manner common to sewingmachines of this class, the channel-guide and looper being, when the shoe is in position for stitching, at the inner side of the between substance or that portion of the work through which the stitches are formed, while the needle when retracted is at the opposite side of said portion, so that the channel-guide enters the channel in the sole s of a boot or shoe, while the looper occupies a position beside the channel-guide and stands over the sole.

`The needle in advancing passes through the a thread-guiding finger b', which is slightly hooked or turned upwardly at its outer Aend and is given a back-and-forth movement by mechanism hereinafter described, so that it stands alternately in the positions shown in Figs. 5 and G. The finger b is located at such height that when it is in the position shown in Fig. 6 the looper in carrying the thread around the needle will also engage the thread with-the said finger, so that when the slack of the loop is being taken up the thread passing from the between substance to the needle is supported by the finger b', as shown in Fig. 6, the thread being deflected by said iinger from the diagonal course it would naturally take between the between substance and the needle and is caused to pull straight ,through the material and leave the between substance on a line practically at right angles with the direction of length thereof, the thread assuming its diagonal position between the finger b and the needle. This arrangement minimizes the friotional resistance and chafing of the thread during the operation of taking up the slack of the last-formed loop by preventing the thread from pulling diagonally on the between substance.

The linger b is given a back-and-forth movement toward and from the between substance by the means next described. The arm b is provided at its upper end with a stud c, which is rigidly affixed to the arm and is journaled in a bearing-block a, rigidly attached to the frame A.

said stud c is affixed a lever d, the outer end of which carries a trundle-roll e, which bears upon one arm of a lever f, which is pivoted at f to the supporting-frame A. The other arm of said lever f is bent downwardly and provided at its lower end with a trundle-roll g, bearing upon the under side of the needle- To the outer end of l l operating lever C. A spring n, connected with the levers CZ and f, holds said levers in yielding contact with each other. .The needle-operating lever C is reciprocated longitudinally by means not shown, its connection with the oscillating needle-arm causing it to rise and fall, the lever C being raised when it is in position to retract the needle, as shown in Fig. l, and depressed when in position to project the needle, as shown in Fig. 2. The lever f is moved by the described vertical movements of the lever C in such manner as to oscillate the lever d and the arm b, thus carrying the linger b toward and from the between substance.

It will be seen that when the needle is retracted the linger h is moved backwardly from the between substance, as shown in Fig. l. Vhen the needle is projected, the finger b moves forward toward the between substance and into the path through which the thread is carried by the looper, said finger reaching this position in season to engage the thread while the latter is being carried by the looper into engagement with the needle, so that the thread passes from the between substance to the needle partially around the finger b', as shown in Fig. 6, and is thus caused to pull straight from the between substance instead of pressing laterally against it, the lateral pressure of the thread being sustained by the linger h", which for this purpose becomes a substitute for the between substance. The finger b' remains in engagement with the thread until the slack of the loop is taken up, the finger being moved outwardly away from the between substance in season to permit the tightening'of the stitch at the inner edge of the between substance.

When the needle is moving outwardly to the position shown in Figs. l and 5, the thread is taut from the tension device (which maybe of any suitable kind) over the guide-trucks t t, through the looper and the material to the hook of the needle, and remains taut until the needle has moved forward and pierced the material, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the last-formed loop then becoming slack, so that when the needle again moves backwardly to form the next loop it cooperates with the looper in taking up the slack of the`precedin g loop. It is while the needle and looper are acting as last described that the finger h' performs its function of' causing the thread to pull straight from the material, whereas if the loop were taken up by the looper and needle only, as heretofore, the thread would pull diagonally from the material.

It will be observed that the motion of the threadengaging finger is received through connections with the needle-operating arm, and this is an advantage in that the relative movements of theneedle and the thread-engaging finger can be more accurately timed.

I claim- 1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the curved oscillating needle, the arm or lever for operating the same, and the looper in juxtarelation to the needle, of a thread-engaging linger movable into and out of position for engagement with the thread where it extends between the work and the looper, and means actuated by the needle-operating arm or lever to impart appropriate movement to the said linger.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with the curved oscillating needle, the arm or lever for operating the salne, and the looper in juxtarelation to the needle, of a depending pivoted arm adjacent to the looper and having it-s lower end formed or provided with a projecting thread-engaging linger, said arm being movable on its pivot in a direction to move its linger into and out of position for engagement with the thread where the latter extends between the work and the looper; and operating connections between the needle-operating arm or lever and the thread-engaging arm whereby to vibrate the latter, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specilication, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses, this 3d day of May, A. D. 1895.

EDWIN A. WEBSTER.

Witnesses:

FRANK P. HoBBs, CHAs. F. PIPER. 

